Garment support



A. PANEPINTO 3,052,891

GARMENT SUPPORT Filed July 19, 1960 Sept. 11, 1962 FIG.I

FIGJI DETAIL as N9 l5 United States Patent 3,052,891 GARMENT SUPPORT Anthony Panepinto, 185 Efner St., Buffalo, N.Y. Filed July 19, 1960, Ser. No. 43,915 5 Claims. (Cl. 2301) This invention relates to novel garment supporting means. The inventive concept of this invention resides in a novel and unique support arrangement providing in the same garment support a pair of suspenders and two waist belts. This application is a continuation in part of copending application Serial Number 805,227, filed in the United States Patent Ofiice April 9, 1959, now Patent No. 2,975,431, granted March 21, 1961.

In copending application 805,227 a supporting means convertible from a pair of suspenders to two waist belts was disclosed. The present invention provides a similar support having therein various novel arrangements. The support comprises in combination two shoulder straps, a removable strap retaining means for retaining said straps in position, and clasp members positioned at each end of said straps. While in copending application 805,227 the buckle portion of the belt is formed by two clasps having portions extending beyond the jaw portion of said clasp, this invention provides novel modified arrangements forming the belt buckle.

One variation of this invention comprises a convertible suspender-belt support having two mating clasps, one clasp comprises a toothed jawed portion with a slot means positioned on the upper jaw portion. The slot is recessed and is positioned on any portion of the upper jaw portion of said clasp. The slot may be situated directly on the upper jaw portion of the clasp or may be situated on a third upper clamping member which is positioned directly over said upper jaw portion. The other of said mating clasp comprises a jaw portion having an extending portion extending beyond the tooth-jaw portion of said clasp. This extending portion is in the form of a tapered hook adapted to -fit into the recessed slot of the other clasp. Again, this extending portion may be directly on the upper jaw portion of the clasp or may be on a third upper clamping member which is positioned di rectly over said upper jaw portion.

Another concept of this invention resides in a convertible suspender-belt support having a clasp arrangement wherein both clasps have in their upper portions slotted members. A connecting buckle having hook-shaped portions on both ends adapted to fit in each of said slotted members in both of said clasps.

A further modification of this invention provides a convertible suspended-belt support wherein conventional clasps without any slots, extensions or connecting means may be used together with a connecting buckle which when the structure of this invention is used as a belt fits over and connects both clasps.

Other modifications of this invention will become apparent upon a further reading of this disclosure. As disclosed in parent application S.N. 805,227 single clasping means consisting merely of using one suspender clasp to clamp on the opposite end of the suspender strap may be used. To use this modification at least one of the clasps must be removable from the strap; the unremoved clasp then is clamped on the strap at the point where the other clasp had been removed. Any conventional type of suspender strap adjuster may be used together with the above disclosed supports.

Further modifications and objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing. It should be further understood that the drawing is meant only to illustrate and not limit the invention.

ICC

FIGURE I is a front view of the general structure of this invention.

FIGURE II shows a perspective view of one modification of the clasps used with the suspender-belt support of this invention.

FIGURE III shows a perspective view of a second modification of the clasp used with the suspender-belt support of this invention.

FIGURE 1V illustrates a perspective view of a third modification of a clasp structure used with the suspenderbelt support of this invention.

FIGURE V is a perspective view of a further arrangement of this invention.

Referring first to FIGURE I of the drawing, the suspenders or supporting means of this invention comprises shoulder straps 1, removable connecting or strap retain ing means 2, suspender clasps 3 on one side of the shoulder straps and suspender clasps 4 on the opposite side. The clasps are shown in this figure as having hook and slot portions on opposite ends; however, FIGURES II, III and IV show various modifications in these clasps. The structure shown in FIGURE II, however, is the preferred embodiment. When connecting or retaining means 2 is removed, suspender straps 1 are converted into two belts which may be worn around the Waist to support trousers, skirts or the like. At the opposite ends of straps 1 are found two clasps which form both the clasp or clips for suspender wear and the buckle portion when the suspenders are converted into two Waist belts. Clasps 3 and 4- will be specifically defined with reference to the illustrations in FIGURES II, III and IV. On both straps are found conventional sliding adjusting means 5. It is, of course, unnecessary to use any adjusting means if the straps 1 are elastic or if no adjusting means are desired; The adjuster disclosed in copending application S.N. 805,-

' 227, filed in the US. Patent Ofiice is preferred for use in trated connecting means 2 is removable merely by sliding straps 1 through slits 6.

FIGURE II shows a close-up view of the preferred embodiment of this invention. Clasp 3 comprises a toothjaw portion made up of upper portion 8 and lower portion 7. A clamping portion 9 overlaps and covers upper portion 8 and has positioned therein a slot 10. The slot may be located on any part of said clamping portion such as shown in dotted portion 11. Although it is preferredto have a clamping portion 9, it would not depart from this invention to put the slot directly in upper portion S. Clasp 4 comprises a three piece structure, lower jaw portion 12, upper jaw portion 13, and clamping portion 14. Clamping portion 14 has thereon an extending hook portion 15 which is adapted to fit into and lock with slot .10. Hook portion 15 may be tapered so as to fit into narrower slot 10. The illustrated hook and slot members are merely shown to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. Applicant has encompassed in his invention various means of locking the two strap ends. To name a few that may be used in place of the illustrated hookslot means are: snapping means, single clasping means such as the clasps shown, tie cord means, hook-loop means, belt buckle means, clamping means, lacing means, groove and prong means, and slip-clasping means similar to a tie clasp. The above mentioned single clasping means consists of merely using the suspender clasp to clamp on the opposite end of the suspender strap. The single clasp would then act as the belt buckle.

FIGURE III shows two clasps identical to that clasp 3 defined in the above discussion referring to FIGURE H. The slots again may be positioned on either clamping portion 9 or upper jaw S. Clasp connector 16 is adapted to fit over both clasps and connects both clasps together. End hook portions 17 are adapted to fit into and lock with slots 10 of both clasps. The position of the slots on the face of element 8 or 9 may be varied to any desired position.

FIGURE IV illustrates an alternate method of forming a belt buckle firom clasps 3 and 4. Rather than clasp connector 18 fitting into slots as in FIGURE III, it simply slides over both clasps 3 and 4 and securely holds them in position. The illustration shows connector 13 with grooves on both sides; although this is the preferred embodiment, it is possible to design connector 18 with other forms; for example the connector 18 may take the shape of connector 16 shown in FIGURE III. Also, the connector 18 may completely encircle the clasps 3 and 4 and fit around the clasps to form :a belt buckle. Grooves 19 similar to those illustrated in the drawing may be used in this type of connector. End hook portions 20 and 21 could also merely be extended to touch each other. In this arrangement conventional clasps without any slots or extensions may be utilized.

By providing removable clasps a further modification of this invention is apparent. If, for example (after element 2 in FIGURE 1 is detached from straps 1) clasp 3 was removable from strap 1, clasp 4 could then be secured to that bare end of the strap thereby forming a Waist belt.

A further modification of this invention would be to have on each of clasps 3 and 4 interlocking hooks similar to that shown in FIGURE II at 15. One hook would be the reverse of the other thereby fitting into one another to lock both ends of the strap together.

Although all the clasp arrangements are shown with teeth, it would not depart from the spirit of this invention to use clasps without teeth, or have the upper or lower with teeth and the other (lower or upper) without teeth. Also, both two part clasps (without a clamping member, as shown in FIGURE H at 14) and three or four part clasps may be used. It is also conceivable that the clasp can be stamped into a one-piece complete member.

FIGURE V shows a close-up view of a further modification of this invention. Clasp 21 is removable from strap 1 by any desired means. Illustrated is a preferred removable means 22 which comprises a slip-grip where resilient element 23 is in contact with element 24 to form a strap lock. When it is desired to remove clasp 21' from strap 1 all that is required is that resilient element 23 be pulled away firom element 24 in a manner tocause an opening or space between the two elements. Strap 1 is then slipped through said space. Although the specific slip-grip embodiment is preferred, other removable means are considered to be encompassed within the spirit of this invention.

Strap 1 is then inserted into and between open jaws 25 and 26, said jaws are then closed or locked to hold strap 1 therein. Clasp 27 thereby acts as a belt buckle when said structure is used as a belt.

Many other modifications and ramifications of this invention will become apparent to those reading this disclosure, these are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. A suspender supporting means adapted to be converted into two waist belts, comprising in combination two shoulder straps, removable means for retaining said straps in position, a trouser clasp member positioned at each end of said straps, and a clasp connecting member, said clasp connecting member adapted to fit around the outer peripheral portion of said clasp members and lock said clasps together when said supporting means are used as a belt, said removable retaining meansv connecting said straps together when said supporting means are used as suspenders.

2. A suspender supporting means adapted to be converted into two waist belts, comprising in combination two shoulder straps, removable means for retaining said straps in position, a trouser clasp member positioned at each end of said straps, and a clasp connecting member, said clasp connecting member comprising a unitized means adapted to fit longitudinally across said trouser clasp members and lock said clasps together when said supporting means are used as a belt, said removable retaining means connecting said straps together when said supporting means are used as suspenders.

3. The supporting means of claim 2 wherein said clasp connecting member is at least as long as the additive lengths of said trouser clasps, and having provided therein means for attaching said clasp connecting members to said trouser clasps.

4. The supporting means of claim 3 wherein said clasp connecting member has provided therein horizontally disposed slots adapted to receive and lock with the end portions of said trouser clasps.

5. The supporting means of claim 4 wherein said clasp connecting member has downwardly extending end means which extend inwardly at its extreme end portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

